HAPPY TO BE HOME— Camarillo resident Lauren De La Torre is glad she’s safe after she was lost for two nights in the El Dorado National Forest in Northern California. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers Huddling under a bush with no food for three days was not exactly how Camarillo resident Lauren De La Torre expected to spend her Fourth of July holiday.

The 53-year-old kindergarten teacher from Tierra Linda Elementary School was stranded for two nights in the El Dorado National Forest—about 45 miles east of Sacramento—after she got lost on a hike.

She returned home safely last week.

“I find it surreal now that I’m home,” De La Torre said. “I feel like I can be a good reminder for people about certain (safety procedures) you should follow in the wilderness.”

De La Torre and her husband, Walt, were staying with friends at the friends’ cabin for the holiday weekend. They all went on a hike around noon on July 2. When the others wanted to continue, De La Torre decided to walk the mile back to the cabin, but on the way she became disoriented.

She walked to higher ground to gain her bearings but was lost.

De La Torre had worked for the U.S. Forest Service for six years and the National Park Service for two. Although she worked in the clerical department and not in the field, she said she learned a lot about wilderness survival from her co- workers and her frequent backpacking trips.

“(I learned) that you should take time to think things through and problem-solve to plan the next step,” she said. “It’s important you don’t lose your confidence or be despaired.”

To avoid dehydration she ate snow and tried to stay in the shade in the afternoon. She was near the Bear River Reservoir and was about 7,000 feet above sea level. During the day temperatures were in the high 70s but dropped to the low 40s at night. De La Torre was wearing capri pants and a short-sleeved shirt, so she slept low to the ground under a Manzanita bush and tucked her arms into her shirt to keep her heart warm.

At 11 a.m. on July 4 a helicopter from the California Army National Guard was dropping off a search team when they spotted her.

“It was one of the greatest feelings,” De La Torre said about seeing a rescuer waving at her from the helicopter. “It was relief, joy and exhaustion, and at that point my body shut down because once I knew I was in safe hands you let everything down. I was so grateful.”

De La Torre was treated for a swollen ankle and many scratches but was otherwise in good health after her nearly 48- hour ordeal.

“We’re glad she is safe,” said Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner.

About 50 search and rescue workers from Amador County and nearby counties were looking for De La Torre over the weekend, Wegner said. There were also aircraft and canine teams, he said.

De La Torre was reunited with many of her friends and previous students last week on the Tierra Linda campus. The gathering was originally organized as a prayer vigil, but when De La Torre was rescued it turned into a welcome-home reunion.

“ When I was up there I thought nobody knew,” De La Torre said. “So for me to feel this giant hug from everybody was great. I didn’t grow up here, but I’m glad my children did. It’s my community, and I love living here.”

De La Torre has two children, Jackson and Clare, who attend Adolfo Camarillo High School.

De La Torre and her husband expect to rest and recover from the emotional and physical ordeal over the next few days.

“It turned out to be a hard experience with a happy ending,” she said.